Chapter 10: I Alone Level Up (Not Really)

"Isn't this a bit too much?"

Enochius murmured to himself, staring at his gauntlet-covered hand.

The skill *Jacob's Limbs (Uncrowned Martial Arts) EX* had enhanced his abilities—or rather, the way it improved them—far beyond his expectations.

Though he'd always been satisfied with its limitless growth potential, experiencing it firsthand was an entirely different matter. He realized he'd severely underestimated what the skill truly meant.

This wasn't just "talent" anymore. The word didn't even begin to capture it. If anything, the term "evolution" was more fitting.

To put it visually: imagine someone training in boxing for two and a half years. Now imagine you, spending ten minutes in your basement punching a sandbag with zero technique, suddenly mastering boxing by sheer fluke. Then, when stepping into the ring, your body instinctively delivers a perfect punch that shatters your opponent before your brain even registers what happened.

That's precisely how Enochius felt now.

If you asked whether he gained any strategic insights into combat after hours of battling demonic beasts, he might have a few thoughts. After all, he wasn't stupid. But did those insights really make a difference?

No, they didn't.

The stark reality was that Enochius didn't know how to fight—he simply could.

In most situations, Enochius moved instinctively during combat. Like a reflex, whenever he decided on a course of action, his body executed the corresponding martial technique without conscious thought.

For example, if a Ushumgallu lunged at him and he decided to push it back, his body could do so effortlessly. But as for why his wrist and core moved a certain way or why his palm angled just so—he had no clue. Without the skill, if he relied solely on his own reasoning, every situation would likely end with him trying brute force, flailing his way through.

Enochius wasn't unskilled—on the contrary, he was an undeniable genius by human standards.

Precisely because of this, the skill seemed almost abstract to him.

He had studied Tai Chi and Bajiquan, Taekwondo and Jeet Kune Do, Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Karate and Sanda…

Though modern combat techniques couldn't directly apply to demonic beasts, their core philosophies remained useful. Enochius had many ideas on how to effectively defeat opponents. Given enough time to study, he could theoretically take down beasts using his raw physical capabilities alone.

But when he fought, he had no understanding of his own movements.

Initially, Enochius knew what he was doing.

During his first battle against a demonic beast, an Ulidim had noticed him, observed for a moment, and then lunged with sharp fangs and claws. With no weapon and uncertain of his strength, Enochius dodged to the side.

The Ulidim, relentless, kept pursuing him until he found an opening to kick it away. From there, things started to get… strange.

When the Ulidim charged him at full speed, Enochius planned to jump onto its head and flip over to evade. But as soon as he moved, his hand unexpectedly drove into the Ulidim's eye socket with surgical precision, ripping out an eyeball faster than he could process.

Landing on the ground, Enochius stood dumbfounded.

What the hell am I doing? What just happened?! 

The now one-eyed Ulidim howled in pain, its rage igniting as it charged again. It leapt high, aiming to pin him down and gut him midair.

Enochius tried to slide underneath, but his body lagged behind his mind. Halfway through his maneuver, the beast was already above him, its chest nearly grazing his face. Then, with a reflexive spinning elbow strike, he sent the Ulidim flying five or six meters into the air. It crashed to the ground, lifeless.

That was just the first fight—mere minutes long.

Over the next hour, Enochius faced multiple Ulidim and Mushussu attacks. Each time, the pattern was similar: Ulidim attacked first, followed by the tardy Mushussu, only to be eliminated in various ways. The frequency of assaults increased as time went on.

Realizing he was nearing a larger cluster of beasts, Enochius decided it was better to arm himself. Though he didn't fear the beasts, having a weapon seemed more practical. He chose an Ulidim with unusually long fangs and ripped out the longest tooth to use as a weapon.

Armed with the tooth, Enochius quickly discovered his attacks grew more lethal. Initially, he intended to simply wound his enemies, but every strike unexpectedly hit vital spots, killing the beasts instantly.

It was obvious his growth was slowing.

Much like in the late stages of a game, where leveling up required exponentially more experience, Enochius felt the pace of his progress diminishing.

It was only natural. The higher one climbed, the harder it was to advance further. The gap between 99 and 100 was far greater than the journey from 0 to 99.

Reaching a level of martial skill that surpassed even divine wisdom would take an astronomical amount of time.

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After hours of travel and countless demonic beast kills, Enochius finally emerged from the chaotic horde, crossing the Absolute Demonic Beast Frontline.

Who would've thought that this parkour-like behavior could even be considered martial arts?

He had intended to use his Noble Phantasm to wipe out the beasts, but intuition told him the cost would leave him completely drained and immobile.

Having slain a few more pursuing Ulidim, nothing now stood between Enochius and Mount Erbifu.

As he stood atop the corpse of an unusually large Ushumgallu, Enochius recalled the battle.

While most Ushumgallu were about three meters tall, this one was nearly six meters high. It was clearly a special variant, with crimson flames burning perpetually on its forelegs—a sign of its unnatural strength.

Maintaining such constant mana output wasn't something ordinary beasts could achieve. Most beasts lacked the intelligence to wield mana, relying solely on physical attacks. Only a few, like the beast commanders or rare variants like this Ushumgallu, displayed such abilities.

When they first faced off, neither Enochius nor the Ushumgallu made a move. They simply stared each other down (though the Ushumgallu had no eyes). Finally, after minutes of tension, the beast swung a flaming paw at him.

Enochius instinctively raised a hand, swatting the flame aside.

Seriously? That was fire, not a fireball. Does this skill even count magecraft as martial arts now? 

Before he could dwell on it, his body crouched, delivering an upward punch so fast it created a sonic boom.

BANG! 

The beast's jaws slammed shut with a loud crack, breaking most of its teeth. As it staggered, Enochius drove the Ulidim fang deep into its neck, twisting and tearing until the beast's head was reduced to a mangled heap.

Standing over the fallen Ushumgallu, Enochius thought grimly:

If I ever have to fight Ishtar, I hope I don't accidentally dismantle one of her limbs. 

Thus far, Enochius had only fought beasts. Combat against humanoid opponents required entirely different techniques. The most efficient way to subdue a humanoid was to incapacitate their limbs—a method nearly impossible against beasts due to their size but straightforward with human-sized enemies.

If Ishtar relied solely on her magic-enhanced body, Enochius might have no choice but to disable her. Unless she crumpled under a few punches, dismantling her limbs seemed inevitable.

Staring at the ruins of the city ahead and the distant Mount Erbifu beyond, Enochius broke into a wry smile.

Damn it, this place is way too far. 

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